1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image-receiving sheet for electrophotography which is excellent in curling properties and conveyability without substantially causing nonuniformity of images, and blisters, and also relates to an image forming process using the image-receiving sheet for electrophotography.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, as supports for various image recording materials such as image-receiving sheet for electrophotography, heat sensitive materials, inkjet recording materials, sublimation transfer materials, heat developing materials, silver halide materials, and heat transfer materials, for example, raw paper, synthetic paper, synthetic resin sheet, coated paper, laminated paper, and the like are used.
For such an image-receiving sheet for electrophotography, the following image-receiving sheets for electrophotography and the like are proposed. For example, an image bearing material which contains a raw paper, polymer coating layers to be formed on both surfaces of the raw paper, a toner image-receiving layer, and an antistatic layer (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (JP-A) No. 08-211645); and an inkjet recording medium which contains a support, and an ink-receiving layer containing a pigment and a binder, wherein the ink-receiving layer is formed on at least one surface of the support; the tensile strength in the Z-axis direction defined in the JAPAN TAPPI Paper Pulp Test Method No. 18-1 is 700 kN/m2; and the image definition of the ink-receiving layer surface is 50% or more (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open UP-A) No. 2004-291340).
Heat resistance is required for the above-noted image-receiving sheets because they are usually subjected to a high-temperature toner fixing step in which the fixing temperature is 110° C. or more. When heat resistance of such an image-receiving sheet is degraded, it may cause problems that blisters easily occur in a resin coating layer. The more the moisture content in raw paper is or the weaker the inter-fiber binding strength is, the easier the blisters occur, which could be a cause of a substantial amount of nonuniformity of images.
Further, in the toner fixing step, an image-receiving sheet is curled by effect of a heating treatment and is conveyed in the curled state. Therefore, it is desired for an image-receiving sheet for electrophotography to have excellent stiffness, dimension stability (curling properties), and conveyability.
However, an image-receiving sheet for electrophotography which is excellent in curling properties and conveyability without substantially causing nonuniformity of images, and blisters has not yet been provided so far, and an image forming process using the image-receiving sheet for electrophotography has not also been provided yet. It is now desired to swiftly provide such an image-receiving sheet for electrophotography and such an image forming process.